Cubs Rumors & News

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SI.com
"When Cubs second baseman Javier Baez took his cuts against new teammate Jon Lester in live batting practice last Friday, something very big was missing. Baez hit without his pronounced leg kick, when he lifts his front knee about waist high. Instead, Baez simply lifted his left heel off the..."
March 03

CSN Chicago
"The $155 million guaranteed obviously helped. But Jon Lester still had to buy into The Plan and believe the Cubs could evolve from a last-place team into a contender and eventually a World Series winner.
For Lester, these last few weeks in Mesa haven’t been about any aha moments validating his..."
March 01

CSN Chicago
"The union will be watching the Cubs to see how they handle the Kris Bryant situation.
Tony Clark, the Major League Baseball Players Association’s executive director, declined to directly answer questions about the service-time math that will almost certainly force Bryant to start this season..."
February 28

Bleacher Report
"At 30,000 feet, the seat belt signs were not illuminated, and the drink carts rolled freely up and down the aisle. The salsa music played on, and nobody could see the turbulence ahead during the heyday of the Sammy Sosa era with the Chicago Cubs.
Charter flight after charter flight in 2003,..."
February 25

CSN Chicago
"The Cubs have sold minority ownership shares to six investors, closing a deal that helps finance the Wrigley Field renovations.
The investors recently bought into the Ricketts family’s holding company, according to a source familiar with the deal, after receiving approval from Major League..."
February 25

CBSChicago.com
"Although 23-year-old phenom Kris Bryant will compete for the Cubs’ third-base job this spring, learning another position will be a part of his experience in Mesa.
Bryant had a meeting with management and new manager Joe Maddon on Monday. He was asked to keep an open mind about learning a second..."
February 24

Chicago Sun-Times
"What is Welington Castillo even doing here?
For now, he’s going to meetings, catching bullpens and trying to keep from thinking too hard about where he might be when the season starts and the Cubs’ two new catchers – both on multiyear contracts – are sharing the job that used to belong to..."
February 21

Hardball Talk
"Baseball America unveiled their annual top 100 prospects list this evening and the top spot went to Cubs prospect third baseman Kris Bryant.
Bryant earned top honors after batting .325 with a 1.098 OPS while leading the minors with 43 homers in 138 games between Double-A and Triple-A last..."
February 20

CBSSports.com
"When he coached third base for the Chicago Cubs from 2003-04, Wendell Kim made a practice of making himself available to the media if he ever screwed up. One time, after the Cubs failed to score and later lost to the Cardinals after Kim unsuccessfully waved home a gimpy Aramis Ramirez, he told..."
February 16

CBSSports.com
"Last month, Hall of Famer Ernie Banks passed away at the age of 83. A legal battle has now broken out between between his estranged wife Elizabeth Banks and long-time friend Regina Rice over his remains, reports the Associated Press.
Court records show Ms. Banks filed a petition to prevent Rice..."
February 15

SI.com
"Owners of two rooftop businesses overlooking Wrigley Field in Chicago went to court on Thursday hoping to stop the Cubs from installing a scoreboard and advertising signs that will block views into the stadium, reports the Chicago Tribune.
The owners of Lakeview Baseball Club and Skybox at..."
February 13

Yahoo! Sports
"In an unexpected and truly sad turn of events, a battle over the remains of Chicago Cubs legend Ernie Banks is currently playing out between his estranged wife, Elizabeth Banks, and a longtime friend of Banks, Regina Rice, who says she intends to honor his wishes to be cremated and have his ashes..."
February 13

Fox Sports
"So why did the Cubs pursue James Shields when such a move might have precluded them from signing an even better free-agent starting pitcher next offseason?
The answer is simple: Length of contract.
The Cubs offered Shields a three-year deal, a major-league source said — three years, $60..."
February 10

CBS Sports Fantasy News
"In Novemeber, Major League Baseball launched an investigation on the Cubs for possible tampering regarding manager Joe Maddon. New MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said at ESPN headquarters this week that the investigation is "still ongoing," and a source told the network that the results should be..."
February 08

ESPN.com
"New major league baseball commissioner Rob Manfred says the investigation into the hiring of Cubs manager Joe Maddon is still “ongoing” while a source also indicates it should be completed before the start of the 2015 season.
Speaking at ESPN headquarters Thursday, Manfred was asked if the..."
February 07

The Score
"The Chicago Cubs and right-hander Pedro Strop have met halfway.
The two sides reportedly settled on a one-year, $2.525-million deal on Thursday, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. The reliever initially asked for $3 million, while the Cubs countered with $2 million. "
February 06

CSN Chicago
"Cubs utility player Logan Watkins may be out for the 2015 season after suffering an Achilles tear in Arizona Wednesday.
Watkins posted a photo on Instagram Tuesday afternoon saying he was on his way to Arizona and less than 24 hours later, the 25-year-old's season was over.
Watkins has..."
February 05

CSN Chicago
"The last major unsigned free agent has yet to find a home, and the Cubs may be a possible destination.
CSN's David Kaplan is reporting that the Cubs are "kicking the tires" on free agent starting pitcher James Shields, who helped guide the Kansas City Royals to the World Series in 2014."
February 05

CSN Chicago
"Baseball always came naturally to Albert Almora.
Almora was the first draft pick of the Theo Epstein regime in Chicago, going sixth overall in 2012. After standout performances at Mater Academy, on Miami's elite travel-team circuit and with Team USA, he got off to a blazing start in..."
February 04

Hardball Talk
"According to Matt Eddy of Baseball America, the Cubs have signed outfielder Mike Baxter to a minor league contract.
You might remember Baxter from his time with the Mets from 2011-2013. Most notably, the Queens native made a highlight reel catch in the game in which Johan Santana threw the..."
February 01

Chicago Tribune
"Ernie Banks loved baseball and he loved the fans.
On Friday, the fans loved him back, paying their respects during a public visitation at Fourth Presbyterian Church in downtown Chicago.
Banks' casket is draped with a No. 14 flag. Above the casket is a huge photo of a youthful Banks in a Cubs..."
February 01

Chicago Tribune
"The sounds form a cacophony of construction — jackhammers' percussive pelting, the persistent beeping of vehicles in reverse and the shrill whine of buzz saws.
Meanwhile, the sights are not exactly picturesque — the gray concrete trucks, the forklifts transporting material safely across mounds..."
January 30

CSN Chicago
"Kris Bryant has another "top prospect" label to toss on his resume.
ESPN's Keith Law unveiled his Top 100 prospects Thursday morning and tabbed Bryant as No. 1, ahead of Minnesota Twins' Byron Buxton, who was No. 1 last year on Law's rankings.
Bryant came in at No. 15 on Law's list last..."
January 29

ESPN Chicago
"Ernie Banks' family has announced that the Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer died after suffering a heart attack.
Banks, a two-time National League MVP who spent his entire major league career with the Cubs, died Friday at the age of 83.
The cause of his death was not announced until Sunday, when..."
January 26

Bleed Cubbie Blue
"Just last weekend, it was announced at the Cubs Convention that Ernie Banks couldn't make it; the reason wasn't stated but many assumed he had to be seriously ill. I can't remember the last convention Ernie missed.
Tonight, unfortunately, we have this sad news:
BREAKING NEWS: So sorry to..."
January 24

MLB Trade Rumors
"The Cubs and outfielder Dexter Fowler have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $9.5MM, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter link). As MLBTR’s Arbitration Tracker shows, Fowler had filed at $10.8MM, while the club countered with an $8.5MM figure. His $9.5MM salary falls..."
January 24

Sporting News
"The Cubs and chairman Tom Ricketts are being sued in federal court by businesses that own two of the rooftops that overlook Wrigley Field, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Ricketts and the team have been accused of violating their revenue-sharing contract with the businesses, participating in..."
January 21

The Outside Corner
"The Chicago Cubs made a rather expected move on Monday when they went out and acquired center fielder Dexter Fowler from the Houston Astros. Fowler fills a need for on-base percentage at the top of the lineup, while also presenting Joe Maddon with an extremely versatile lineup to work with..."
January 21

MLB Blogs
"With Luis Valbuena headed to Houston, that leaves an void at third base but Cubs GM Jed Hoyer says it’s too early to write Kris Bryant’s name in the lineup for Opening Day. Cubs fans are giddy at the prospect of Bryant, 23, the Minor League Player of the Year, playing at Wrigley Field. In his..."
January 19

ESPN Chicago
"The Houston Astros have traded outfielder Dexter Fowler to the Chicago Cubs for infielder Luis Valbuena and right-handed pitcher Dan Straily.
The Cubs announced the move on Monday.
Fowler, 28, hit .276 with eight homers and 35 RBIs last year in his only season with the Astros, who acquired..."
January 19

Chicago Sun-Times
"Of all the changes in store for the Cubs, none will feel them more than their kid hitters, who won’t get free passes this season.
That means keep your eye this spring on Javy Baez. He could be the poster boy for the “accountability” the Cubs plan to install.
“He has to earn his playing time,..."
January 18

ESPN.com
"After being near gunfire on two separate occasions this offseason, Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro has decided to move his family from the Dominican Republic to Arizona.
And the Cubs think it's the best thing for him.
"He made a not insignificant step to move to Arizona and start his..."
January 18